Calhoun, Marion, Notre Dame, Rhea host playoffs

photo Trousdale County's Kenyan Harper (5) tries to strip the ball from Marion County's Josh Henderson as he is tackled by another Yellow Jackets defender. Marion's Warriors earned another home game.

Tennessee playoff semifinals(Kickoffs at 7 p.m. local time)Class 2AKnoxville Grace (10-3) at Marion County (11-1)Class 3AAlcoa (12-1) vs. Notre Dame (12-1) at Finley StadiumClass 5AKnoxville West (12-1) at Rhea County (13-0)Georgia playoff quarterfinalClass AAAElbert County (9-3) at Calhoun (12-0), 7:30

The next step is a big one, because the step after that will be a Tennessee state football championship game.

Four Chattanooga-area teams are still alive in the high school football postseason with three Tennessee teams seeking to charter buses to Cookeville for the TSSAA series of state finals. The fourth is looking to gain the Georgia Class AAA semifinals. All four will be home teams Friday.

In Georgia, Calhoun will host Elbert County, coached by former Sequatchie County coach Sid Fritts, in a state quarterfinal. The other three area teams that have yet to take up their football gear have Tennessee semifinal home games -- Rhea County in Class 5A, Notre Dame in 3A and Marion County in 2A.

The Notre Dame game against defending champ Alcoa, 13 times a state-title winner, has been moved to Finley Stadium.

It will be the second straight game at Finley for Notre Dame, which defeated McMinn Central 48-7 there this past Friday.

"I told the guys on Monday when they practiced at Finley that something (good) was going to happen there," Notre Dame coach Charles Fant said. "When McMinn scored (to cut Notre Dame's lead to 20-7) it could have been a great football game, but through our kids' resilience they found ways to put it away."

The Irish did so with a flourish, scoring 22 unanswered points in the second quarter and playing with a running clock the rest of the way.

Rhea County also will be on artificial turf, returning home to host Knoxville West, the 2013 runner-up, while Marion County continues its postseason play-at-home run against Knoxville Grace Christian, which has enjoyed 13 wins each of the past two seasons.

"Knox Grace is big -- bigger than us," said Marion coach Ricky Ross, whose team has above-average size for a 2A team. "I think their right tackle is 6-5 and three bills (300 pounds) and I would wager that they don't play an offensive lineman that weighs less than 225. It's an enormous challenge."

Marion's O-line, all underclassmen, is topped by right tackle Tyler Wildermuth (6-2, 315). Without Wildermuth, the group (guards Eli Morrison and Cory Tucker, left tackle Jake Allender, center Logan Campbell and tight end Alex Kirkendoll) averages slightly less than 210 pounds.

They have led the way all season for running back and Mr. Football finalist Blake Zeman, who ran for three touchdowns and returned an interception for another score in the Warriors' 41-20 victory over Trousdale County this past Friday.

The last time Notre Dame made it to a state semifinal was 1978. Those Irish beat Rockwood and Hartsville but then lost to Maryville, which has been a nemesis for Chattanooga area teams for years. Maryville won the state title the following week.

Former Rhea County players know about Maryville, whether from Jason Fitzgerald's 2008 bunch who lost to the Rebels in the quarterfinals or others. Maryville also had postseason wins over the Eagles in 2007, 2006, 2003, 2001 and 2000 and Bill Horton's 1997 squad.

While Rhea County expects to have its hands full, at least the Eagles won't be facing another undefeated team as they have done each of the past two weeks. In advancing they knocked off unbeatens Ooltewah (47-14) and Oak Ridge (35-21).

Their challenge this week is 12-1 West, which, like Rhea, went on the postseason road last week for the first time and beat previously unbeaten South Doyle 34-14.

Contact Ward Gossett at wgossett@timesfreepress.com or 423-886-4765. Follow him at Twitter.com/wardgossett.

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